Always give more in use value than you take from anyone in cash value. This is the advice of Wallace D. Wattles, author of the 1910 classic The Science of Getting Rich.
This brilliant little book gave Rhonda Byrne, producer of The Secret, her first glimpse of “the secret”. It’s a concise little gem packed with wisdom, and if you haven’t yet had the pleasure I highly recommend it. You can get a free downloadable pdf copy from Rebecca Fine’s site, The Science of Getting Rich NETwork. Rebecca is a friendly, happy lady who teaches the principles in this book and applies this one extremely well herself by providing lots of great free stuff and a set-your-own-price for her online course, Science of Getting Rich for Practical GeniusesTM – which is overflowing with value. Even if you’re not interested in her material, I recommend her site as a case study in “always give more in use value than you take from anyone in cash value” and in great customer service. (The two are linked but they’re not always the same thing.)
So you ask – what’s in it for me? Apart from just coming across as generous, why exactly should I do this? Glad you asked because I’ve got a scientifically based bullet-proof answer for you.
“The desire for increase is inherent in all nature; it is the fundamental impulse of the universe.”
Mr Wattles says that because of this fundamental law, “People will go where they are given increase”. This is the core reason why ‘going the extra mile’ for your customers is worth it for you. Customers not only want great experiences, they want their money’s worth. In fact, they want more. So when they feel they got more than their money’s worth they are happy little campers indeed, and they will tell everyone about it. Rebecca’s site is a perfect example of this – I’m so impressed with her I want to tell everyone. It’s a simple principle that works a treat.
The power of this principle was driven home to me recently when I encountered two incidents at opposite ends of the “value to customer” spectrum. You can have the slickest brand and a marketing message that pulls people like flies to a picnic – but if you don’t give them value, you’ll pay the price. No “increase” (i.e. added value) = no come back + no tell friends.
When you get creative, there are lots of ways to add value for your customers, many of which can be low cost such as small gifts and “surprise” extras. But here I’m going to focus on enhancing your customer service, and thus the customer’s experience as a way of adding value.
My best lessons in customer service came during my years in HR. It was a very interesting training ground because these types of internal “transactions” often have emotion around them and you need to learn to navigate and manage these for positive outcomes. This is especially true when it comes to people’s money as I found out during my time as a payroll manager. If you think you’ve got demanding customers, try paying people on a complex award structure for a living! Wow, if there’s one thing people have a lot of emotion around, it’s money. Talk about going the extra mile, my life depended on it! But in turn I was rewarded handsomely for it, in many respects. Not the least of which was valuable insight into people’s needs and behaviour patterns around customer service.
I also learnt a great deal about customer service through observing the best manager I ever had. A cheerful, generous and smart guy, Peter used to wander around saying things like, “Wouldn’t be dead for quids“. Apart from teaching me a whole lot, he was also a great inspiration. Employees lined up to see Pete, and he would greet each one like he was on holiday and they were a long lost friend. Employees bothered to take the time to come and see him because they knew they would get their problem solved and walk away feeling on top of the world. A busy HR manager is like a busy restaurant – people go where they know they’re going to get their problem solved and have a good experience.
Most often it takes just one or two small offerings to make all the difference. Very often these centre around treating your customer like a person – giving a genuine smile and having a chat (or a friendly email exchange) is enough to give your customers a memorable experience. One of the keys things I found was that it’s not necessarily what you do, it’s your genuine intent that really matters. When you demonstrate that you really care about the outcome for your customer, you’ll not only make them happy, you will earn their respect. People sense it, even if they can’t articulate it, and the same is true for the other way around. If you treat your customers like transactions – something to be executed and gotten rid of, albeit politely – they will sense it; and even if they do come back they will never become raving fans. Guaranteed.
In our highly automated world, here’s some very simple, thoughtful things you can do to ensure a great customer experience:
- The Golden Rule: Never forget that customers are people. Treat your customers like people, as opposed to transactions, and you’ll make an impact. You will also be miles ahead of your competition.
- Be friendly – Be helpful – Be genuine (whatever you do or say, mean it)
- Never skimp on nice – it doesn’t cost you anything and people know when they’re being short-changed
- Take a genuine interest in them as a person (don’t underestimate this one)
- Send follow-up emails or make calls to enquire about how they got on
- Wherever possible write personal notes
- Follow-up – if you say you’re going to do something, do it!
- Answer your emails like a person wrote them rather than an autoresponder
- Stop sounding like a marketer and start sounding like a person
- Smile and look like you’re enjoying yourself (preferably for real!); even when you’re on the phone or sending emails
- Give away “free” stuff
- Recommend other products and services that you genuinely believe in and which may benefit your customer (you can also earn commissions this way)
- Use humour
- Go out of your way to get things to people quickly
- Keep your customers informed about where you’re at with delivering your product or service (this is especially important when it’s a project that takes time)
- Include nicely written notes in your packages – this will make your customer feel important, even if it’s a standard letter sent to everyone
- Remember that no matter how great you may think you are (and I’m sure you are!), you’re never more important than your customer
Make them feel on top of the world. They’ll rave about your business and you’ll also feel great about yourself. This is Mr Wattles’ “increase” at work. Everyone gets more – win/win. Oh, and then there’s that little issue of getting rich.
P.S. I couldn’t resist using “The Secret” in the title because isn’t everything just “the secret” these days!
I believe we are on the same wavelength Danielle. Maybe our names have something to do with it!
The Science of Getting Rich and other relics such as Think and Grow Rich, As a Man Thinketh and many others are filled with pearls of wisdom that are still quite relevant today. Many modern writers and entrepreneurs are just discovering these treasures.
I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said in your article! My many years in sales has taught me the true validity of the Golden Rule, the virtues of being a nice, friendly person and the attitude of service. As you have revealed; in the end, adding significant value is the key to success in sales and most other endeavors. Great job Danielle!
Hi Daniel,
Thanks so much for your comment. And yep I’m sure our names are a core reason for being in sync! (A lot of people have trouble spelling my name so I just say, it’s Daniel with an le!)
And yes absolutely, fundamental laws and principles never change, so although the language and examples used in these books are a little dated, their message is still highly relevant. I would go so far as to say they should be mandatory reading for entrepreneurs who truly want to succeed.
You know I only read Think and Grow Rich recently and in the intro he keeps refering to the information he’s about to reveal as “the secret”, so perhaps that’s where they got the title for the dvd from.
I just read your article, Selling Focus of E-Commerce Sites and love the additional points you make around the customer experience. Great article with very practical tips. Cheers!
It still amazes me that these books from almost one hundred years ago are still thought of as the secret.
Great books and the modern movie on it is very well done.
Loved your bullet list.
Thanks Chris, glad you liked it!
That’s so true – it astounds me too that it’s taken this long for such powerful and valuable information to become common knowledge.
I agree that the movie is great, but I always like to recommend these books as “back up” reading because I know some people find the movie a bit too “woo woo” and hard to believe.
You know I was just over at your blog last night!! I really liked it (and especially love your focus on creativity) so I sent an email to a friend recommending it 🙂
Danielle,
Nice article with great reminders of what one can add to their service to get them the extra “edge” over competitors. I believe sometimes we as marketeers can get caught up in the marketing mix (pardon the pun) and forget that our customers are people. A marketeer should never forget that, but we are fallible like everyone else.
For anyone wanting proof of just how powerful going the extra mile for a great customer experience is, pop over to Chris Sherrod’s blog, The Prosperity Guy, and watch this video, This movie will touch you.
P.S. He’s right, so be prepared for a warm & fuzzy moment 🙂
Hi Dara,
That’s absolutely true. And I think it’s simply because as humans we have a natural tendency to always see the world from our own perspective, and put our own needs first (necessarily). So in business it’s easy to forget to see and approach the situation from the other person (our customer’s) perspective. But when we do, it pays off bigtime. I think it also has the benefit of helping us grow as people.
I love your niche business concept! I believe the pet industry is huge these days, so what a wonderful idea to cater especially to businesses in that market.
I was reading a report recently. It’s an interview with Bob Proctor (one of the “actors” in The Secret) by a guy called Stephen Pierce.
Proctor talked quite a bit about the law of attraction, which is THE secret. For someone who hasn’t watched the full length version of The Secret (only the free ones on YouTube), the report really opens my mind after reading.
Worth a look.
You could get a copy of the bob proctor report here. It’s free. 😉
Sherman
Web Design Tips for Online Marketing Success
Thanks so much Sherman, that’s great.
I highly recommend that you watch The Secret – although I preface that by saying it’s only an appetiser to what is really a 10-course feast.
To fully understand the law of attraction I recommend a course like Bob Proctor’s (the one he talks about in the interview you recommended) which is based on the book The Science of Getting Rich, or Rebecca Fine’s course – also based on the same book. The advantage of Rebecca’s course is that you set your own tuition, so if you’re a bit strapped for cash, you can pay accordingly. (Just click on the little man below and it will take you to her site.)
Also, the law of attraction is only one law in a much wider set. For anyone interested in finding out more, check out The Master Key. Rumour has it that it was this book that inspired Bill Gates to drop out of university to pursue his dream. You can get a free copy at: http://www.psitek.net/pages/PsiTekTMKSContents.html
The Master Key was my first introduction to “the secret”.
Cheers, Danielle
I really want to endorse the things you are teaching. The Law of Attraction radically changed my life when I was introduced to it by the amazing Bob Proctor a little over 18 months ago.
I was a struggling entrepreneur, financially broke and emotionally at the end of the line. Bob Proctor taught me the law of attraction and showed me how to massively alter the direction of my life.
I went from broke to a millionaire in just 6 months!
It was an amazing ride!
I tell how it worked for me on my site at http://lassothemoon.blogspot.com/
Danielle,
Your first mill is just a manifestation away 🙂
Hold the vision!
Love and laughter,
Chris
http://lassothemoon.blogspot.com/
That’s awesome Chris, good on you.
I can’t wait for my first mill 🙂
Have fun,
Danielle
Someone mentioned that the Master Key System was their first introduction to the secret, that’s funny – in our house the process was backwards, we found the secret, then an RSI church locally and now we have an online study of The Master Key System starting up at http://www.masterkeycommunity.com hopefully some of you will join us, it’s free of course